Jay Fox’s Post

‘Why transit matters’ to me: 2/3 The lack of suitable transportation options in car-centric cities often leads low-income individuals to resort to petty crimes such as driving uninsured. Without affordable public transportation, these individuals face the impossible choice of risking legal consequences or being unable to access employment and essential services. The costs associated with such crimes, including fines, impound fees, and increased insurance premiums, further exacerbate their financial struggles, creating a vicious cycle. By investing in robust public transportation, cities can break this cycle, preventing the escalation from petty crimes to deeper, more serious offenses, thereby supporting vulnerable populations and fostering safer communities. #PublicTransportation #EconomicParticipation #ReduceCrime

The success of the S-Line shows that building transit lines is only half of the solution to building better urban communities. The other half is people-first land use policy that enables thoughtful redevelopment and easier access to destinations and green space with or without cars. The Rio Grande Plan would be the largest transit-oriented development project in the history of the state of Utah, bringing significant public benefits to all and representing a pendulum swing back to the mode of building great urban places. Read more about the Rio Grande Plan: https://lnkd.in/gGNgUqpk

This past legislative session, Michigan got close to securing enough funding to transform transit, but a bill that would allocate $2 billion in transit investment over the next decade failed to pass. Fortunately, local transit advocates remain undeterred and will try again in the fall. Reminder: Transit is a public service that benefits everyone, even people who never ride it! But it needs much, much more funding to fulfill its potential as a driver of social mobility and emissions reduction. https://lnkd.in/gtMrVtYu

“We need to be laser-focused on what aspects of the measure will truly meet our transportation goals, advance economic prosperity in the region, as well as climate and equity. The reality is that highway expansion is not one of those goals and undermines all of them". Zack Deutsch-Gross https://lnkd.in/eCctH5QS #transitadvocacy #bayareatransport #highwayexpansiondebate #transportequity #sb1031

[Transit Guide] Here's what you need to know about the $3.1B plan. #transit #government #transportation #nashville #nashvillebiz

Sadek Wahba, I would imagine you would agree that this is the same frustration President Eisenhower, Lucius Clay, Steven Bechtel, Sloan Colt, and Frank Turner faced in the 1950s trying to convince the nation that Interstate Highways would transform the United States and provide $billions in economic commerce and protect our national sovereignty. Curious Richard Mudge, what value do these highways have on our nation? Texas, the State of the Future, knows Logistics moves the world, and INTELLIGENT INFRASTRUCTURE will refactor the North American Supply Chain - Canada - USA - Texas - Mexico. https://lnkd.in/gCiDhbzk Infrastructure investors and the Federal Infrastructure Bank (William T. Nolan) are mobilizing $billions in private capital to underwrite Intelligent Infrastructure Economic Zones, Building a Stronger and More Connected Nation. https://lnkd.in/gWnJD877 INTELLIGENT INFRASTRUCTURE (the foundation of ARPA-I) will be the brains of our economy. Enabling solutions like Artificial Intelligence, Spatial Computing, Intelligent Transportation, Autonomous Systems, advanced city services, and, most importantly, securing data for people, cities, and governments. Ted Miller on Intelligent Infrastructure: https://lnkd.in/gZ2_7_rj William T. Nolan on Intelligent Infrastructure: https://lnkd.in/gxi38Cdg Texas SH130 is the nation's Route 66. https://lnkd.in/e5iwTNPR INTELLIGENT INFRASTRUCTURE is supercharging the $142.3 billion Texas Department of Transportation UTP buildout. Autonomy Institute Building the Infrastructure for the Next 100 Years. https://lnkd.in/gwv2pnXe #infrastructure #future #transportation #arpa-i #arpax #cybersecure #jobs #bank #digital #innovation #data #people #visionzero #continuumofcapital #dataexchange #partnerships #supplychains #digitaltwin #privacy #investment #p3programs

Many of the transit systems in Europe rely on national or state money to subsidize operations. Many policy makers I’ve interviewed for research in Germany and Norway view transit as a necessity like police, fire, and ambulance services or as an essential economic development tool like highways, rather than a service expected to pay for itself as we do in the US. The US has an outdated set of incentives—focusing federal money mostly on new construction and relying mostly on local money and fares to run the routes. This assumes that once the initial investment is made, the routes will pay for themselves, but they usually don’t. (Nor can they as we spend billions subsidizing highways and parking facilities that compete with transit). Most European countries have great service compared to the US but appearances can be deceiving. Their services usually don’t pay for themselves either. However many policy makers I’ve met with are ok with that because they see these services as an essential expenditure. After Covid, with fewer riders and changing travel patterns, the US system is running into problems. Transit agencies are continuing to build costly new routes with federal dollars that have few trains using them because local agencies can’t afford to run the services. Maybe it’s time to redirect federal transit money to operations and maintenance and develop a formula for providing federal transit subsidies (e.g. based on miles of service and ridership).

Is it time to rethink the basics of mass transit? Can it operate any longer as a utility? Do we need to plan for the days of transit as a public program—and who will pay??? It’s as big a crisis as these systems have had in two generations.

Chicago-area public transit has consistently been underfunded compared to transit in other parts of the country since before the pandemic, Regional Transportation Authority of Northeastern Illinois (RTA) Kirk Dillard said in a statement. Talk of reforms must be paired with discussion about finances. “We welcome discussion on reforms that strengthen coordination, efficiency and accountability across the regional transit system,” he said. “Riders expect and deserve faster, more reliable service, and a safer and more accessible system. But reforms must come with the necessary funding to upgrade service and maximize transit’s impact on the region’s economy, climate, and access to opportunity for all residents.” https://lnkd.in/g7AWYRsx

How might you be affected by future Road-Use Charging? This controversial subject has been thrown into the spotlight after the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (CIHT) launched a white paper, entitled "Charging for Road Use – What is the Future of Mobility Pricing?" The merits of such a scheme include the encouragement of public transport use and a reduction in road congestion - but may also have a disproportionate affect on rural and isolated communities. Our latest article explores this white paper by the CIHT and what would be needed to implement such a change in the near future. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/eMYktyKB #RoadUseCharging #CIHT #TransportPlanning